Carton



C. W. VOGT Aug. 1, 1939.

CARTON Filed Sept. :26, 1936 INVENTQR Clarence l/[Vqyif MWM My ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mesne assignments,

to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 26, 1936, Serial No, 102,683

b Claims,

The present invention relates to cartons of that type in which the closure is formed by foldable flaps, and the invention involves certain new and useful improvements in the closure flaps.

'5 As a feature of the present invention, one or more of the closure flaps may be provided with easily severable portions which, when in closed position, may be severed from the main portion of the flaps by simple finger manipulation to effeet easy opening of the carton.

As another feature of the invention, one or more flaps is provided with easily severable portions and the flaps are so constructed as to permit the fastening of a staple onto said severable portion to hold the flaps in closure position.

. As a further feature, the outer closure flaps are provided with hingeable cut-outs which may be 'bent inwardly to lock the inner closure flaps in closed position after the carton has been opened.

Inthe shipment and storage of cartons, it is customary to have a number of these cartons closely packed together in a box or other container so that it is diflicult or impossible to grasp the carton and pull it out from the container.

As a feature of the present invention, one or more of the closure flaps is provided with means whereby the carton may be grasped at one end and pulled out endwise from a close pack, said means also serving to form a lock to hold the in- 30 her closure flaps in closed position after the carton has been opened and reclosed. During trans portation, this means is confined within the general outline of the carton so as not to interfere withthe proper'end to end stacking of the car- 35 tons.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig; 1 is a plan view of the upper end of a blank for a carton embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the upper end portion of a carton embodying the present invention, and shows said-carton fully open, and in conjunction 45 with an inner flexible bag,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the inner flaps folded into closure position,

Fig. l is a similar view butshowing the flaps in closed and, locked position and ready to be shipped,

Fig. -5 is a section taken on Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and ibut shows a portion of the outer flaps broken away as m a preliminary step in the opening of the carton,

the line lill or Fig. 7 is a similar view but showing the outer flaps as used to lock the inner flaps in closed position after the carton has been opened and reclosed, and Fig. 8 is an end view of the bottom of the carton showing the flaps which may there be used.

In the specific form illustrated, the carton is formed from a blank which is made of comparatively rigid material such as cardboard, and which has a series of longitudinally extending score or crease lines ll along which the blank is folded to form the four side walls of the carton, and the usual comparatively narrow side flap l2 by means of which the opposite sides of the blank may be secured together to form a tubular carton of rectangular cross-section.

The four sections of the blank are provided with extensions, two of these forming the inner opposed flaps l3 and I I, and the other two forming the outer opposed flaps l5 and Hi. ,All of 'these extensions are foldable in the usual manner along the crease or score line l8 extending trans-'- versely of the blank. 4

The inner flaps l3 and I4 are rectangular in shape and are long enough to overlap each other when folded inwardly across the upper end of the carton as shown in Fig. 3.

The flap l3 may, in some cases, be employed as a pouring spout, or if an inner bag be employed it may be directly secured to the flap or a pouring portion of the bag. In either case, it is pref-' erable that this flap and the carton wall to which it is connected be provided with 'one or more scored lines, facilitating bending of the flap and the wall whenthe flap is in thesame plane as the wall; As shown, there are provided two of these fold lines it extending from intermediate of the outer edge of the flap, across the score line it, to the score lines ii at opposite edges of the carton wall carrying the flap it. By squeezing the earton by applying pressure on opposite sides of the carton adjacent to the upper ends oi these last mentioned score lines, the wall and the flap may be bent to form apouring spout or to facilitate opening up the inner bag if such bag be employed.

The inner closure flap Ml is provided w'itha pair of opposed weakenedlines ill and a weakened line it extending between said weakened lines it but spaced from the ends thereof to form a rectangular flap section it which may be easily severed or detached from the main body of said inner flap it. The weakened lines may be formed by partial slitting or scoring or by a row of short slits or perforations."-

"rne opposed outer closure ilnps iii and it are of similar shape and construction, each having a base portion 23 which is preferably frustoconical in'shape, and a substantially rectangular tongue 24 of reduced width, extending from the outer end of said base portion 23. Each tongue.

24 is rendered easily severable from the base portion 23 of the fiap of a weakened line 25. Each base portion 23 is slit to form a hinged cut-out tongue 21 which is preferably frusto-conical in shape, with its wider free end adjacent to the score line l8. These tongues may be bent out of the'plane of the main portion for the purposes hereinafter ,referred to.

The carbon of the present invention may be used to contain solids in powder, granular or other form, such as salt, sugar or the like, or

may be used in conjunction with an inner flexible bag to hold liquid, powders or other material.

In Fig. 2, the carton is shown inconjunction In Fig. 3 is shown the initial closing stop of the carton in which the inner flaps i3 and H are folded'acrbss the top of the carton in closure position, the fiap l4 overlapping the flap l3. The two outer closure flaps i5 and I6 are then folded over the two inner closure flaps i3 and i4, and a wire stitch or staple 29 is applied through the two severable tongues 24 and through the severable flap section 22 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

This stapling operation is e'ifected while a suitable backing plate or a suitable grooved clincher plate extends'between the two inner closure flaps i3 and I4, so that the 'ends of the staple will turn inwardly underneath the severable flap section 22 and above the flap l3 as shown in Fig. 5. The

. filled package as shown in Fig. 4 is then in condition to be stored or shipped.

In order to open the carton for dispensing puri poses, the two tongues 24 are jointly held by the .flngers and pulled to eflect rupture thereof along the weakened lines 25. In this operation, [the tongues 24 carry with them the'fiap section 22 stapled or otherwise secured thereto, and said,

section is likewise torn off. The parts will then be in'the'position and Endition shown in Fig. 6.

All. of the'fiaps may then be lifted toopen the.

carton, and the contentsof the package may be dispensed either from the pouring spout of the bag 23 or from the carton itself if no inner bag is present, or in any other way. I

After the desired amount of the contents of the package has been removed or dispensed, the two inner flaps l3 and I4 may be reclosed across the top of the carton, and held in closed position by merely pushing the tongues 21 inwardly and across the two inner flaps l3 and M as shown in Fig. 7. These tongues, in this position, will hold the inner flaps in closed position until it is desired to again remove or dispense another portion or the-remainder of, the contents of. the

package. I

In the shipment and storage ofcontainers, it is customary to have a number of these containers closely packed together so, that it is difficult orimpossible to grasp the side of a container and pull it out from a pack. However, in the construction shown, one or both of the tongues 21 may be bent downwardly from the plane of the top of the carton as shown in Fig. 4 to form an opening through which a finger may be inserted for gripping the upper edge of a side wall and lifting the carton endwise from the close pack.

The bottom of the carton may be provided with any suitable form of closure fiaps which may be sealed or secured together by interlocking projections or by staples, stitching or adhesive. Preferably, the bottom is formed as shown in Fig. 8. Two of the side walls of the box have rectangular flaps 30 and 3| which may overlap, and the other two side walls may have flaps 32 and 33 of such length that they exactly or substantially abut when in closed or folded position. The flaps 32 and 33 may be very much narrower at their free ends if desired. As shown, they are 'cut away on diagonal lines along each edge. The fiaps 30, 32 and 33 may be secured together by a staple 34 or wire stitch or stitching, or in some instances by adhesive. If the staple or wire stitching is employed, a backing plate or clincher plate may be slid over the fiap 3| and beneath the fiap 30 to clinch the staple or wire and prevent it from entering the flap 3|. .As the staple or stitch is disposed above the flap l3 on the top, and below the flap 3| on the bottom, it will be obvious that if the carton be used in connection with any thin flexible inner bag or liner, the lat- ,ter is protected from contact with 'the staple,.

securing said severable portions together, whereby they may be removed as a unit.

.2. A carton including a' pair of opposed inner l closure flaps overlapped along thefull width at their outer ends and a pair of opposed outer closure flaps of such length that they do not overlap, each of said outer closure flaps being provided at its outer end withan easily severable tongue, and a fastener separately securing said tongues to the outer end of one of said first mentioned flaps.

3. Acarton including a pair of opposed inner closure flaps and a pair of opposed outer closure flaps, each of said outer closure fiaps being provided at its end with an easily severable tongue of reduced width, and one of said inner flaps having an easily severable portion directly underlying said tongues and means for securing,

together said tongues and said last mentioned severable portion whereby all oi! said readily severable portions may be torn from their respective' flaps by a single manual operation when in closed position, to .permit outfolding of all of the 4.1L carton including a pair of inner closure flaps and a pair of outer closure flaps, each of said outer closure flaps being providedwith a hinged cutout near the base thereof which may be folded inwardly out of the plane of said outer closure flap to hold said inner closure flaps in closed position.

5. A package including a carton having at one end a pair of opposed inner closure flaps and a pair of opposed outer closure flaps, one of said inner closure flaps having an easily severable section at its outer end, and each of said outer closure flaps having an easily severable section at its outer end overlapping said first mentioned severable section, and a staple interlocking all of said severable sections, whereby upon tearing oil ofthe staple connected parts the remaining portions of the flap may be folded upwardly and outwardly to open the carton.

6. A carton including a pair of inner closure flaps and a pair of outer closure flaps, each of said outer closure flaps being provided with a hinged cutout section near the base thereof which may be folded inwardly out of the plane of said outer closure flap to hold said inner closure flaps in closed position when the outer flaps are in upstanding position and one of said sections being sufficiently large to form a hole through which a finger may be inserted for lifting purposes when the outer flaps are in closed position.

- CLARENCE W. VOGT, 

